I so hate an empty forum, so I'll go first.

"New arrivals" are more than welcome to the discussion group. While it can be nice to lurk a while and get the tone of the forum, we sure hope you'll "go active" and not hesitate to post, whether you have something to share or a question to ask. We may seem like an an anal-retentive clique of obsessive detail sharpshooters (and might, in fact, be) the forum is really a friendly hangout of historically-minded enthusiasts. Our guidelines are few, but mainly consist of basic civility, apolitical orientation, and a recognition that there is a wealth of real-world experience about that always appreciates a new perspective. Apart from that, and some courtesies that are asked regarding image posting (size and number per page, see announcement above), the DG is a comfy place to participate in AFV discussions without much constraint or getting hammered for asking the wrong question. Well, unless you use the "G" word when referring to the venerable M113, then you might be subject to being hooted off the stage.

If you have any questions about how to use any of the many features that Com-Central offers on the forum, don't hesitate to ask about that, too. What our "friendly and knowledgable staff" doesn't know, we'll find out for ya'.

Thanks for stopping by, and welcome to our little home on the internet!

I'm ba-aaaack....

Been away from the board for a while, so I thought I'd pretend I was new. But then I saw a post by Shades and it all came flooding back.

Oh, well. Great to be back, and great to see all that may remember me!

C

We do, Chuck, we do! Good to have you back 'round!

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"New arrivals" are more than welcome to the discussion group

lessin they be skwirrels

Piney

PS don't mind me I'm a bit teched

Dem Skwirrels stay over on the other side of the fence with the "Wingy Things"

I too, am a recent returnee (is there such a word?). I joined the list in 2007 and then found that I had so many other things going on that I didn't have time to post anything. Now that I am retired, I hope to change that.

My name is John Hutterer and I am the former President of the Fort Snelling Military Museum Volunteers. Last March I let it be known that two terms as President were enough and that a replacement was needed. Fortunately a young man named Dan Little stepped up and was elected by the membership of the organization.

It was indeed fortunate that Dan was available because in April I experienced what is known as a type 1A Aortic Disection. Basically, my aorta started coming apart from the inside out. The illness has a 98% fatality rate and I considder myself to be extremely lucky to have survived it. I owe my life to a lot of physicians, surgeons, and nurses.

I'm vertical again and beginning to become more involved with the museum, so I thought that I would get back to the forum and bring some of the forum members up to date.

The FSMM continues to operate, although our active members are growing older and are not as able to work on the restoration projects as they once were. Within the past couple of years we have completed the restoration of two Gama Goats (an Ambulance and a Cargo version), an M37 pickup, an M3A1 Halftrack, and are in the process of restoring an M211 2 1/2 ton Tractor. The next item on the schedule is a DUKW and an ERDLator (that's a Water Purification unit). A group called Quads, Searchlights, and Dusters has donated enough money so that we can get our M42 Duster sand-blasted and painted this winter. We are always looking for new Members. We held an Open House a couple of weeks ago and picked up three new Members, but we always need more.

As you might expect, there is a lot of maintenance and up-keep that is needed in order to keep as many as 30 vehicles up and running, to say nothing of the transport vehicles that we use to take the artifacts to various parades and civic functions. If you live anywhere within about an hours drive of the Twin Cities, we would be happy to see you become a Volunteer. The membership dues are $30 per year. We have about 110 Members, but only about 30 are active. All of our Members are important though, because the dues are part of the funding that the organization needs to continue our work. The Army Reserve lets us use a maintenance shop (5 bays) but does not provide any funding to help support our efforts. The entire budget for the organization, and for all of the restoration work that we do, is provided through donations from various groups and individuals. If anyone on this forum is interested in donating to the museum the address is 511 Constitution Avenue, Fort Snelling MN, 55111.

Now that I am back on the forum, I will be happy to try to answer any questions about the museum, or the artifacts, that I can.

John

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Basically, my aorta started coming apart from the inside out. The illness has a 98% fatality rate and I considder myself to be extremely lucky to have survived it.

On behalf of our group, welcome back (In more ways than one) and I hope you stay with us a very long time.

One of these days I will make the trip to your museum, it's on my list of places to see since you have a pretty good M60 selection. I regret not visiting when I was at Fort McCoy in 2006, but I had a short notice diversion for about a year and never made it back.

Joe,

Thanks for the reply and the welcome. Let me know if you plan to be in the Twin Cities area in the future and we'll see about getting one of our 60's up and running when you stop by. It's really best to come by in the Spring, Summer, or Fall, since we tend to put things away for the Winter months.

John